Vietnamese pangasius farms make sustainability commitment

A new decree will be implemented in Vietnam in 2016 that requires all national pangasius farms and supply chain companies to be certified to the VietGAP Pangasius Standard or equivalent, according to Pangasius Vietnam.

The decree on pangasius farming, processing and exporting has been drafted by the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). It is anticipated to be enforced from 1 January 2016.

There are currently 43 ASC certified farms in the Mekong Delta supplying ASC certified pangasius.

The first farm to be certified against the ASC pangaius standard in September 2012 was Vinh Hoan fish farm in Vietnam. The first products bearing the ASC logo for responsible pangaius aquaculture became available in the same month across the Netherlands.

According to MARD, the reported area used for pangasius farming in Vietnam is an estimated 5,950 hectares with an output of 977,000 metric tons (MT).

The Dong Thap region had the highest area of 1,875 hectares and a production of 342,000 MT. Ben Tre produced 154,000 MT across 700 hectares, and Vinh Long harvested 101,000 MT on 425 hectares.

The ASC pangasius standard was developed by a stakeholder group. By meeting the standard, certified farms must demonstrate that they use responsible aquaculture practices that minimize their environmental and social impact.

Companies that wish to sell their products as ASC certified are required to gain ASC chain of custody certification by passing a third party audit conducted by an independent certification body.

This story was corrected on 17 April.